


Placebo

by Lozza342



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - College/University, Flirting, Fluff, Fluff without Plot, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-07
Updated: 2020-05-07
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:48:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,603
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24057739
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lozza342/pseuds/Lozza342
Summary: There was a troublemaker in Ennoshita’s class.Maybe one shouldn't put too much weight in a first impression... or maybe they should.
Relationships: Ennoshita Chikara/Futakuchi Kenji
Comments: 9
Kudos: 57





	Placebo

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Crows_Imagine](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Crows_Imagine/gifts).



> For Enno!
> 
> I'm sorry it's like... a day late, but I really hope you like it? I couldn't choose an AU so I chose two instead pffft.
> 
> Enjoy!

There was a troublemaker in Ennoshita’s class.

The first time he noticed him was when he stumbled into the lecture hall late, all disheveled brown hair and unironed clothes. His face was red, either from running or the embarrassment - likely both, and when the lecturer told him not to worry and to sit down, he gave a bright, awkward smile before running his hand through his hair and taking his place a few rows down from Ennoshita. He seemed pretty lax despite his tardiness, he didn’t even take any notes, either. In fact, Ennoshita was sure he even dozed off at some point. 

It was no wonder, he looked somewhat like a zombie that first day. Typical college student. 

Ennoshita could say that, because he wasn’t a “Typical college student.” In fact, he considered himself pretty hard-working compared to many of the others around him. Despite being told he needed to “lighten up” or “let loose” every now and again, he was aiming for something, and he’d be damned if he let himself fall behind. 

The way most students treated college - especially their first year - as a year to mess around - drink, drugs, that entire stage of rebellion. Ennoshita couldn’t understand it. College was a time to hone skills, get used to living away and growing as a person. Anything else was just a throw-away. A waste of time. 

So no, he didn’t want to  _ lighten up _ or  _ let loose _ . He wanted to flourish into the man he wanted to be, on the straight and narrow. 

He could never see his own derailment, fast approaching a head-on collision into more than he expected from his journey. 

Ennoshita found himself in the library on a Saturday morning - no, he wasn’t hungover like half the rest of the students - studying on his laptop, going over the notes from the last lecture and making shortened versions to make revising easy. 

A body slumped over at the desk next to him, a takeaway coffee in hand and a library-issue laptop in the other. The smell of coffee perked him up as if he’d had a shot of espresso himself, suddenly craving something to keep his draining energy up. While his attention was caught, he found himself glancing over the label on the recyclable cup reading  _ Date Kofe _ in cursive, gold lettering, then blinking as he followed the arm up to the face. 

So he wasn’t the only one who wasn’t hungover. Ennoshita was a little surprised, as the boy who’d slept through most classes brought the cup to his lips and savoured the hot liquid. It was just as tempting to get one himself. The angle captured the bliss of a first cup of coffee just perfectly. 

“You staring at me or the coffee?” An amused voice floated over the cup, and when Ennoshita finally snapped back to himself, he found that the lips that had been sealed against the cup were now twitched upwards in a smirk. It was so self-satisfied, Ennoshita frowned, about to open his mouth before the boy cut in again. “It was me, wasn’t it?” He asked, full of himself, “C’mon you can admit it, I am pretty.” 

Ennoshita blinked before squinting at the insinuation, “I haven’t had coffee this morning…” He replied, voice rough. “I was admiring the smell.” 

“Not the only thing you were admiring though, huh?” 

Ennoshita ignored him after those words, huffing unamusedly before his eyes slid back to his computer and he continued as if nothing had happened. 

Honestly, Ennoshita was more surprised that he was here at this time, not sleeping off the drink like every other student who stumbled in late to almost every lecture. Once he’d made sure to pointedly ignore the boy sitting across from him, he felt the eyes on him leave, relaxed his shoulders and continued with his note-taking. They spent the next half hour in silence, Ennoshita having to make a conscious effort not to look up every time the boy picked up his coffee cup. 

At this point, Ennoshita really did need that coffee shot, the exhaustion of waking up so early causing his eyelids to droop. He became distracted easily, his leg restlessly shaking beneath the desk and handwriting slipping. By now, the boy next to him was engrossed in his work. Only now did he realise he was wearing glasses. Perhaps he was far-sighted. He never wore them in lectures. Perhaps… Ennoshita was paying way too much attention to him. 

It wasn’t that he was… what did he call himself? Pretty?  _ What a self-centred idiot. _ But his hair was nice, especially ruffled a little in haste, the way it fell messily over his forehead, his black-rimmed glasses fitting snugly on his nose. Looking at him now, a little more awake and a little more neat in appearance, he almost seemed like a clean student. 

Over the course of the morning, Ennoshita slipped in and out of daydreaming, his productivity decreasing until he decided it was time he needed lunch - and a coffee. 

When he got up to leave, he wasn’t intending to say goodbye to his new acquaintance - put lightly, of course - but as soon as he walked past, that  _ too-sweet-it-must-be-poison  _ voice floated back over to him. “Yo! You gonna give me your name? We’re friends now, right?” He asked, and once Ennoshita turned, he saw a honey-sweet grin, completely blinding, his eyes crescent-shaped beneath the glass of his specs. 

“Whatever gave you that idea?” Ennoshita answered. The tone was unamused, he wasn’t falling for the way his voice was playful, like he expects the world from him for doing nothing at all. 

Arm slung over his chair, glasses-guy pouted his lips, tilting his head cutely, and- just what was his deal? “I don’t know, maybe you weren’t as stuck-up as you seemed?” He shrugged, turning back to his computer, “Guess I was wrong~.” 

The tone of his voice set Ennoshita’s nerves on edge. 

He didn’t dignify it with a response, and was left haunted by the brilliant smile he had given him, so much that it almost gave him a halo. Ennoshita knew his type though, a devil in disguise, luring him in with sweet words and gestures. 

It was a few weeks with not much contact with tardy glasses-guy, in fact, most of Ennoshita’s observations of him were very limited to lectures. The image of his smile began to leave him after a while. 

Then something caught his eye out shopping. A small shop, signature green with curved gold lettering above the door “ _Date Kofe.”_ _That_ coffee shop. 

He definitely remembered the smell, the image of glasses-guy’s lips around the rim of the cup… 

It smelt just as good from outside, wafting into the street. How could he not take a look? After walking through the door, Ennoshita took his time to bask in the scent. It was very homely, he could tell the coffee here was good already, brewed with fresh, roasted beans. The smell was almost enchanting, and he found his lungs filled with the deliciousness of the coffee without even having to taste any. 

High on whatever minimal caffeine content the scent of coffee carried, a placebo, Ennoshita made his way to the counter, eyes scanning the menu before anything else. And when movement caught his eye, he looked down to begin to order. 

Except he found himself staring straight into glasses-guy. He wasn’t wearing glasses right now, though. Instead, he wore a cap, green with gold lettering, and an apron in the same style. Only then did he realise. “It’s you.” Ennoshita deadpanned, although he was surprised - once again, this guy surprised him every time he saw him, it seemed - to see him here. He was… working? In this shop? Well… it explained the coffee cup. 

A fire lit up in the eyes of the boy opposite. Ennoshita hated it already, the way he looked like a cat eyeing up its food. “Futakuchi Kenji, at your service.” The boy introduced himself with a perfectly acted bow, causing someone behind him to snort. 

Futakuchi blushed - his face actually took on colour, like that first time stumbling through to the lecture hall - at that, but it didn’t deter him, apparently, as he kept going. “What may I get you?” 

“Caramel mochaccino” Ennoshita replied flatly, although he was intrigued by the boy with sudden depth to him. Part-time working in a coffee shop while studying. It was definitely dedication, like a lot of students needing money, a part-time job was lucrative. Apparently Ennoshita wasn’t the best judge of character after all. 

“Coming right up~!” Futakuchi chimed, turning to fulfil his order. Ennoshita watched him work, bashing elbows one too many times with the man who had teased him earlier - tall, blonde, sleeves rolled up - before meeting him back at the counter with his order. Picking up a pen, Futakuchi shot him a smirk while he opened the cap with his teeth and raised an eyebrow. 

He didn’t even need to ask this time. 

Begrudgingly, Ennoshita rolled his eyes and admitted defeat. “Ennoshita…” He murmured, letting Futakuchi get the kanji right before handing him his cup. 

“Nice to see you again Ennoshita-kun~.” Futakuchi said, putting the cap on his pen before throwing him a wink. 

Maybe it flustered Ennoshita too much to sit in today, maybe instead of storming out in frustration, he beelined out in embarrassment. No-one had to know. 

But maybe, one of these days, he just might sit in, on a Saturday morning before Futakuchi gets off from work and walks to the library with him. 

Maybe, that’s just what he does. 

**Author's Note:**

> OK Date Kofe may be slightly cheesy but it took me all of five minutes to realise that Fe is the chemical symbol for iron and it... kinda fits?
> 
> I hope you enjoyed reading~!


End file.
